Elevator closure



Oct. 10, 1939. o. F. SHEPARD 2,175,323

ELEVATOR CLOSURE Filed March 3, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 U r 3* p37INVENTOR.

WWd M md ATTORNEY;

Oct. 10, 1939. o. F. SHEPARD ELEVATOR CLOSURE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 3, 1937 I law INVENTQR.

W 1 Wm ATTORNEY;

3 and from the floor above.

that the cab be of reduced dimension to conserve Patented Oct. 10, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in slide doors of a foldable orcollapsible type, particularly as a closure for elevator cabs orhatchways.

An object of the invention is to provide a closure for elevator cabs,hatchways, or the like, slidably translated and compactly foldable orcollapsible in opening so'as to be crowded in a minimum space, thesections or panels thereof hingedly joined for swinging into parallelismside by side against one another.

' Another object of the invention is to provide an articulated closurefor a doorway or opening, foldable in zigzag form and iu'ifoldable atthe end of a straight course of travel for the width of the opening.

The invention is a continuation, in part, of a copending applicationfiled by me August 27, 1934, Serial No. 741,576, Patent No. 2,086,022,dated July 6, 1937, for animprovement in elevators, particu- 2o larlyadaptable for installation in homes, and is therefore herein illustratedanddescribed in such embodiment, from which many of the advantages ofthe present invention will be more fully apparent on account oftheconditions presented. 7

[In the particular instance there is no enclosure for the cab for themain or lowermost floor served, the cab being stationed or moving in theopen or being exposed to the room or hallway, traveling along a wallthereof in its ascent. and descent to It is therefore requisite space.It is also imperative that the cab door, in

opening or closing, be within the confines of the.

cab and in the interior thereof, unobstructive to the passengers in thecab in opening or closing and to the room, and be compactly assembledwhen open, and that it be of very simple construction to minimize itscost and be easily and effectively operative.

40 Various other features and advantages of the invention will bemorefully set forth in a description of the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

- Figure l is a perspective view of an elevator cab, containing theimproved folding or collapsible door.

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 22, Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a section on line 33, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective fragmentary view of the cab, with the doorpartly open.

Figure 5 is a front elevation with parts broken away showing themounting structure of the door in closed position, of a modified form oftrack and ,door fixture.

(c1. zo-20) Figure 6 is a section on line 6-43, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged section on line 1-4, Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to Figure 6 with the door open. 5 IFigure 9 is a view similar to Figure 6, illustrating the door in closedposition, of another modified form of track.

Figure 10 is a'sectional view similar to Figure 9, with the door in openposition.

Figure 11 is an enlarged section on line ll-] l, FigureQJ As theimprovement herein is exemplified by a, closure for an elevator cab ordoorway opening, no mechanism for translating or operating the cab isdisclosed. 'For a disclosure of the complete elevator installation,reference maybe had to the aforesaid application.

wAs a' home elevator serving two floors, the installation is madewithout major alterations to the building; the lower iioor being openand exposing only rails along a wall thereof, and an opening through theceiling sufficient for the cab to pass therethrough. The cab,indescending and when at rest atthe lower-floor, occupies a position as apiece of furniture along a wall, taking up a minimum cab floor spaceofabout x 30".

A hall or entrance way, of a width suificient to admit the cab, mayserve, forwhen the elevator is not used it isstationed at an upper orsecond floor, leaving the lower floor clear, and the bottom of the cabprovides a closure for the opening through the first floor ceiling.

The cab is provided with three closure walls and a front opening for itsfull width dimension, for which it is necessary to provide a closurewhich will not be obstructive to either the exterior or interior 0f thecab in opening and closing. The closure, preferably for the useexemplified, is composed of a plurality of sections or panels, foldableone against another and against the inner side of one of the cabsidewalls. It, however, may be any type of articulated structure,skeletonized or an assembly of bars.

Referring to the drawings for the embodiment 45 shown in Figures 1 to 4inclusive, the door for the full width of the cab is composed of fourpanels or sections, 1, 2, 3 and 4, hingedly connected one to anotherpreferably by piano type hinges 5, respectively for the full height ofthe panels, and in 0 arrangement provides for a zig-zag fold of thesections to bring the same together and against a side wall of the cab,to which an end panel of the group is hingedly connected. The end panel,as panel I, which may be termed the aft end of the 55,

door, hingedly connects to a side wall of the cab and has its hingedjoint approximately in line with the door opening for the panel to swinginwardly of the cab to a position parallel with and against the cab sidewall.

Each alternate hinged joint, from the joint connecting the door to theside wall and from which the joined panels swing inwardly, travels in astraight line with the door opening, and at such point for the top andbottom of a pair of joined panels is guided or travels upon straightrails. For the upper end of the door, at the hinged joints moving in astraight line, the joined sections are slidably suspended from a crossrail 6 by a hanger l, slidable upon the rail and fixed to a doorsection.

correspondingly, a bracket 8 is fixed to the bottom of a section inalignment with the hanger '5, having a stud 9 projecting downwardly intoa slot or groove Ill in the floor or rail, fixed upon or within thefioor across the doorway of the cab. Each of the connected doorsections, at'the joints which swing inwardly and at the upper endthereof, is provided with a vertical guide rod l I, engaging between thecross rail 6 and a guide rail I2, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4,forming a track arranged to prevent the door sections from swinginginwardly for a straight-a-way portion of their travel, except within asuitable distance of approach of the side wall of the cab, against whichthey are to fold in opening the door.

The guide rail l2, at the open terminal of the door sections, extendsinwardly as at l3, providing a clearance for the inward swing of thesections and their guide rods II, controlling the swing of the sectionstoward the terminal of their opening movement of travel and providingfor folding the sections in a consecutive or successive order as theyapproach their opening limit of travel, while the sections in advancethereof are held against collapse and in their straight-a-way position.

The door sections thus swing from a straight-away position to arelatively lateral position, or vice versa, in a consecutive order asthey approach or depart from their fully open position. This materiallyfacilitates door maneuvering, provides for ease of operation, avoidsundue interference with the passengers in the cab, and also preventsswinging of the panels when the door is closed.

The door control is readily reversed so as to open either to the rightor left, the guide track l2 serving for either direction of travel. Achange from right to left can be readily made by merely transposing aterminal guide rail section l4, detachably fixed to the guide rail l2 atthe inturned bend thereof, to prevent the panel sections from swinginginwardly or laterally from a straight-a-way course.

To prevent the sections from jamming or interfering with their ease ofoperation, as may result if the sections are allowed to move to analigned position or to swing outwardly from their straight line course,the door is of a measurement slightly in excess of the width of the dooropening so that the panels of the group, when the door is closed, willbe in a slightly askew position inwardly from the straight lineof'travel.

In the modifications shown in Figures 5 to 11 inclusive, the panels areslidably suspended from a cross rod or rail 6 by hangers 'l for thejoints which do not deviate from a straight line course in folding andunfolding the panels, and, at their lower end for the joints of thepanels traveling in a straight line, are provided with a stud 9projecting into a slot or channel ID in a rail or the fioor of the cabof the elevator, as previously described. For each of the joints of aconnected pair of panels swinging laterally or inwardly, one of thepanels, at its lower end, is provided with a bracket l5 having adepending stud l6 engaged into a channel or groove l! in the floor ofthe cab.

The channel or groove I1, for the major portion of its length, is inline or parallel with the groove or channel In for the joints having acontinuous straight line travel, and diverts inwardly of the cab towardthe end of the panel travel in opening the door. This, as heretoforedescribed, provides for a straight-way travel of the panels for themajor portion of the door span and directs them into a folding postureas they approach their end of opening travel in a consecutive order, andare controlled and operated in a similar manner for closing.

In the form shown in Figures 5 to 8 inclusive, the grooves or channels I0 and I1, for the extent of their relative straight course, are disposedin the same line at relative different elevations and of differentwidths, forming a double width channel. In the instance disclosed thestuds 9, for the joints traveling in a continuous straight path, are ofa diameter to be sustained in the upper level of the channel, while thestuds l6, for the inwardly moving joints, are of a reduced dimension toengage into and slide in the lower level of the guide channel anddiverge inwardly toward the aft end of the channel.

In'the form shown in Figures 9 to 11 inclusive, the channels areparallel for their relative straight course, which prevents moving thepanels into an aligned position in closing the door, or in their closedposition as heretofore mentioned, and offers greater ease of operationfor some uses as there is no opportunity for the joints to bind.

'Having described my invention, I claim:

1.A folding door comprising a plurality of panels connected together bymeans of hinges and adapted to fold in zig-zag arrangement against eachother, a rail across the upper end of the door opening, means forsuspending said panels from said rail, said door opening including apair of tracks, guiding means associated with the hinges between thepanels engaging said tracks, the guiding means of alternate hingesengaging one track and the remainder the other, said tracks diverging atone side .of the door opening and terminating at the side of the dooropening a distance apart equal to the width of the respective panels.

2. A folding door comprising a plurality of panels connected together bymeans of hinges and adapted to fold in zig-zag arrangement against eachother, means for slidably suspending the panels from the upper portionof the doorway, said doorway including a pair of guiding means,cooperating guiding means associated with the hinges between the panelsengaging said first named guiding means, the guiding means of alternatehinges engaging one of said first named guiding means and the remainderthe other, said first named guiding means diverging at one side of thedoor opening and terminating at the side of the door opening a distanceapart equal to the width of the respective panels.

3. A folding door comprising a plurality of panels connected together bymeans of hinges and adapted to fold in zig-zag arrangement against eachother, means for slidably suspending said panels from the upper portionof the doorway, the base of said door opening including a ing from theother at one side of the door openpair of tracks, guiding meansassociated with the ing and terminating at the side of the dooropenhinges between the panels engaging said tracks, ing a distance fromthe other equal to the width the guiding means of alternate hingesengaging of the respective panels.

one track and the remainder the other, one of said tracks countersunk inthe other and diverg- OSCAR F. SHEPARD.

